Antishimmying device



Filed Sept. l2. 1932 Patented Dec. 12,1933

1339,409 Y ANTISHIMMYING DEVICE .Henry Pelletier, Fitchburg, Mass;

ApplicationSeptember 12, 1932y Serial No. 632,771

1.o claims. (.01. 28o-89) This invention relates to an' attachmentr for an automobile and the principal object of the same is toprovide means for preventing the shimmying of the front wheels and steering column.

"l5 Other objects of the invention are to 'provide a. construction in which a weight is provided connected with the steering rod by a compound leverage s'ystem in which the effect of the weight on the steering tie rod during ordinary driving ilO will be multiplied many times; to providea construction in which the weight trails behind the steering tie rod and acts as a force for damping any Vibrations 'duetto' attempted shimmying and reducing those vibrations so that they 4will'not `I5 constitute a disagreeable action and will not result in any danger to the steering of the car; to providev arconstruction in which the Weight is mounted well. in the rear of the axle to give it a rudderli'k'e effect to keep the front vwheels in `20 perfect line at all timesyto provide this construction of weight so located and so connected with the steering tievrod that incase of a blowout on :a front wheel, it will prevent the car from swerving to one side or the other and thus con- V2li stitute a very important safety device; and to provide a construction which maybe adjusted in a number` of different ways so as to make it applicable to cars of different kinds so that it is practically applicable to all types of cars. B 1 Other objects and advantages of the invention will-appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is-a, plan of the steering'portion ofacar with -a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto; Y j

Fig.` 2.is a side elevation of the attachment with the axle and steering rod to which it is connected shown in section;

'Fig. 3 is a plan of the attachment detached from vthe car; Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2: Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a 'slightly modified form of the device adjusted for an entirely different car, in which the steering rod is located at a different elevation relative to `the axle; Yand Fig. A6 is a view of the device shown in Fig. 1 indicatinga position the parts assume on making a sharp'l'eft turn. Y

The invention is illustrated as applied to the `chassis 'of a car having a stationary axle l0 and 'a shiftable steering tierod v11 connected .with the "55 iontwheels 4in the usual manner. A bracket 12 opposite surfaces ofthe slot.

is employed Vhaving a horizontal screw 13 extending forward from it and provided with Vtwo jawsi 14, one screw-threaded-on this screw vand the other pivoted thereon and adapted to grasp the bottoni of the axle or anyother .part of it. A'check nut l5 is used to hold thev jaws in -clamping position. By comparison of Figs. 2 and 15, it will be seen that this `bracket can be turned either side up so as to adjust the arrangement for steering tie rods located in different vertical positions relative to the axle.

Connected with the bracket 12 by an adjustable vertical screw 16 which passes through the bracket is a weight lever 17 which has a Weight l8iat its rear end. Y This lever'l7 vis pivoted to turn freely on the rod Y16 which is screw-threaded at both ends but has a cylindrical `portion on which the hub -19 of this lever 17 is freely pivoted as stated. Nuts 20 and check nuts are employed yto prevent the lever 17 getting out of adjustment. It will be .obvious that it can be adjusted up and down` in either of the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 5 and aV lengthy adjustment can be secured'by inverting the bracket l2.Y d

The lever 17 is provide'dlwitha longitudinal slot 21 arranged lengthwise and machined. In this slot is located a slide 22 which is formedrof'three pieces, one of which is of the'same width asV the slot and located-entirely in the slot and the other two are in the form of washers which slide on the These vparts areV not adjustable relatively to each other. The washers 23 have ears 24 projecting down into the slot'toprevent the washers from turning. A bolt vpasses through thisslide and is `provided with nuts25 at both ends. Between one of these nuts and one of the washers is a perforated head 26 which isV fixed withfrespect to the-nut but rotatable with respect tothe slide as the boltpasses through the Vslidefreely- This head is provided with a horizontal screw` arm 27 and onthis screw lare a pair of jaws 28 for securing this arm 27 to the steering tie rod 11. vOne of these jaws is screw-threaded 'to `the arm 27 and acheck nut 29 is provided on the inner side for holding the' .parts in adjusted position. t

' In the normal operation'of the device, the parts vare in the position shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3. That slide 22 and the bolt 30 to the center of the adjusting screw 16 can be made three quarters of an inch while the` distance from the center of the screw 16 to the center of the weight 18 can be made seven and a half inches, making a ratio of ten to one. If the weight weighs one and three quarters pounds, this gives a resistance against the short end of the lever of seventeen and a half pounds one way and really twice that, or thirty-five pounds, when it starts to oscillate back and forth. Yet this does not affect the steering because when the wheels are pulled out of line slightly, the fulcrum of leverage which is,

vat the start, ten toone is changed by the sliding of the slide 22 and bolt 30 in the slot toa central position thereon in which the leverage is three and three quarters on both sides, leaving no resistance when the wheels are making a turn. In other words, the resistance to the shimmying of the car is multiplied and is very great but there is no resistance when the wheels are'really turned to round a corner or avoid something in the road.

The weight 18, located well in the rear, has a tendency to bring the wheels into a straight line if they are moved slightly out of it because at that time the slide 22 and bolt 30 are at the end of the slot as shown in Fig. 3. It is absolutely necessary to have a leverage in this device not only for power but to provide for perfect straight traveling in a forward direction. YFor example, if the bolt 30 moves a quarter of an inch on account of the compound leverage, the weight will travel backv and forth three .inches with the resistance on the rod of thirty-five pounds. The idea is that in traveling it takes a certain length of time `for the weight to swing which gives time to damp the slightest vibration due to shimmying. It has been found in practicev by subjecting the device tothe most severe tests that it is one hundred percent perfect as an anti-shimmying device.

The clamps 14 and 28 can be changed as desired to t any axle or tie rod and the vertical and horizontal adjustments can be made to flt any relative location of them. In the one shown in Fig. 5, the'clamps or jaws 31 are of a different shape' from those shown in Fig. 2. Y

It will be seen that this construction provides for the difficulties that actually exist, prevents shimmying perfectly land yet affords no resistance to an intentional turning of the machine to and described, butwhat I do claimisz- 1. In an anti-shimmying device, the combinationv of a clamp adapted to be fixed to the axle of a car, a lever pivotally connected withY said clamp andshaving a'weight on the end normally extending directly backwardly from the clamp, and an arm pivotally and slidably connected to said lever and having a clamp thereon for'securi'ng it to the steering tie rod of the car.

' 2. In ananti-shimmying device for an automobile, the combination of a bracket, means for adjustably securing the bracket to theaxle of a car, a vertical pivot screw connected to said bracket, a lever having a weight on the end freely pivoted to said screw and extending backwardly therefrom, and an arm pivotally andv slidably connected to said lever and adjustably secured to the steering tie rod of the car, both of said adjustments being longitudinal.

3. In an anti-shimmying device, the combination of a bracket adapted to be longitudinally adjustably secured to the axle of a car and extending backwardly therefrom, a vertically adjustable screw secured to the rear end of said bracket, a lever pivotally mounted on said screw and having a weight on the end at the rear and free to swing on the screw, an arm pivotally and slidably connected by a vertical pivot with the lever and extending backwardly and adapted to be secured to the steering tie rod of the car.

4. In an anti-shimmying device, the combination of a bracket having a horizontal screw thereon, means for securing said screw to the axle of a car, said bracket being reversible by turning the screw through a half turn, a vertical screw mounted on the bracket and adapted to` extend upwardly or downwardly therefrom and to be adjusted vertically, said screw having a cylindrical portion, a hub freely turnable on the cylindrical portion of the screw and having an integral lever extending directly backwardly therefrom and providedfwith a weight at the extreme rear end, a longitudinal slide on the lever, said slide having a vertical pivot and an arm pivotally'mounted on the vertical pivot and adapted to be securely connected with the steeringtie rod of the car.

5. In an anti-shimmying device, the combination of a vertical pivot screw, means for mounting this pivot screw on the axle of a car, a lever mounted on said screw to turnfreely thereon and having a weight on'the extreme end, said lever/extending directly backwardly from the screw, said Vlever having a longitudinal guide thereon, a slide freely slidable along said guide and yhaving a vertical pivot, an arm pivotally mounted on the pivot and extending backwardly therefrom and having means for securing it to the steering tie rod of the car, whereby when the front wheels connected with the steering tie rod vibrate, that vibration will be damped and absorbed by the weight, said pivot being located in ordinary driving only a short distance back of the pivot screw, whereby whenthe front wheels are turned, the slide will have to moverin a relative backward direction along the guide, so that the weight will not prevent or restrict the turning of the car.

6. In an anti-shimmying device for an automobile, the combination of a vertical pivot rod adapted to be fixed to the front axle of a car, a lever freely pivoted on the rod and having Ya weight at the rear end, said lever having a slot longitudinally located, a slide freely slidable in said slot and carrying a vertical bolt, and an arm freely pivoted on said bolt and having means for fixing it to the steering tie rod of the car, whereby in straight driving the weight will resist the shimmying of the wheels but in turningthe slide will necessarily move along the slotand reduce the leverage of the weight so that the weight will not resist turning movement.

7. In an anti-shimmying device for an automobile, the combination of a pivot rod adapted to be fixed to the front axle of a car, a lever freely pivoted on the rod and having a Weight at the rear end, said lever having a slot longitudinally located, a slide freely slidable in said slot, and an arm freely pivoted to said slide and having means for fixing it to the steering tie rod of the car.

' 8. In an anti-shimmying device, the combination of a pivot screw, means for mounting said pivot screw on the axle of a car, a lever mounted on said screw to turn freely thereon and having a weight at the extreme rear end, said lever .having a longitudinal guide thereon, a. slide freely slidable along said guide, an arm pivotally connected with the guide and extending backwardly therefrom and having means for sewill not prevent or restrict the turning of the' car.

9. In an anti-'shimmying device, the combination of a bracket, means for securing said bracket to the axle of a car, a screw mounted on the bracket and adapted to be adjusted vertically, a hub freely turnable on the screw and having an integral lever Vextending backwardly therefrom and provided with a weight at the extreme rear end, a longitudinal slide on the lever, and an arm pivotally connected with the slide and adapted to be securely connected with the steering tie rod of the car.

10. In an anti-shimmying device for an automobile, the combination'of a bracket, means for securing the bracket to the axle of a car, a pivot connected to said bracket, a lever having a weight on the end freely connected with said pivot and extending backwardly therefrom, and an arm pivotally and slidably connected to said HENRY PELLETIER. 

